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The Motivation Tank

When writing, I always like to check the multiple definitions that a word can have. In this case the following definition is accurate for what I understand by my experience:

"Motivation is a theoretical construct used to explain behavior. It represents the reasons for people's actions, desires, and needs. Motivation can also be defined as one's direction to behavior, or what causes a person to want to repeat a behavior and vice versa"

How it works

To keep something working you will probably need some kind of fuel. Well, you guessed it, in this case that fuel is called motivation. Some people think that motivation is something that we can manage easily, that you just need it to make when needed. I wish it was that easy.

Think of motivation as the fuel of your car: the more you use it along the day, the less you have. And you need to refill it. If you want to achieve something every single day, do it the first thing in the day. That’s were you have your motivation at 100%. Think of every day as another wonderful opportunity to move one step forward to success. Use that to complete your priority task. Otherwise, motivation will fall down and you will be less likely to do it at the end of the day.

Fill the tank

A healthy body is needed to have a bigger tank of motivation. One of the best habits you can build is the habit to exercise. If you are already doing exercise you may know the benefits and how it affects your daily routine. If you don't have that habit, keep in mind that you don't need to go all the way with the bells and whistles (best running shoes, apps, etc). Even just walking 10.000 steps is a good start.

Another clear way to fill your tank is by having a great breakfast. It may sound obvious, but breakfast is more important than you think. When you wake up, the blood sugar your body needs to make your muscles and brain work their best is usually low. Breakfast helps replenish it. If you don't get enough breakfast energy you will be more likely to overeat later in that day.

The last one is probably the clearest one: sleep. Sleeping enough makes the difference, specially in the afternoons. A bad sleep habit is killing. Your motivation will completely disappear like magic.

Next time you don't' feel motivated, think about it. Did you have enough fuel?

If you liked this article feel free to get the first chapter of my book The Success Hacker, a practical guide on productivity, building efficient teams and overcoming complexities.